DiMAGE Xt

DiMAGE Xt

Minolta DiMAGE Xt Review

By
Movable Type Admin

Features & Controls

The DiMAGE Xt employs a revolutionary f/2.8 3X "folded" optical zoom lens with a focal
length coverage of 37mm - 111mm in 35mm format. It is constructed of all glass with 9
elements in 8 groups (including three aspheric surfaces). An automatic protective cap
closes over the lens when it is powered down.

Minolta's legendary expertise in optical lens design has led to the creation of a unique
compact folded 3x optical zoom lens with a depth of only 0.8 inches. By using a high
quality prism that folds the optical path, the optical zoom lens is positioned vertically
within the body.

In addition, this efficient optical design requires only a small zooming
motor, allowing for quick and quiet focal length changes.

The built in flash offers Auto, Fill-flash, Red-eye reduction and Night Portrait modes,
it recycles in approximately 5 seconds.
The flash range is approximately 0.8 - 9.5 feet (0.25-2.9m) in Wide angle
and from approximately 0.8 - 7.5 feet (0.25-2.3m) in Telephoto
(Camera sensitivity: ISO 200)

The eyelevel optical real-image zoom viewfinder has a field of view of approx. 85% of the
captured image. It has no diopter adjustment and the LED to the right is used to
indicate focus and flash status, it also indicates Movie recording is active or the camera is
writing to the memory card.

Controls on the back: The Mode Dial with positions for Record, Play,
Movie/Audio and Setup. Top right is the zoom lens control which is
also part of the 4-way navigation controls for the menu system and
image playback. Below the color LCD (left to right) is the MENU
button to call up the onscreen menu system. Next is the QuickView
for displaying the last pictured captured, it serves as the image delete
button in play mode. The Monitor control button turns the color LCD on/off, it also
controls the amount of information displayed during playback and enables the index mode.
Last is
the Flash control button to cycle between the various flash modes.
On the right is the speaker for listening to the voice memos,
audio recordings and movie clips.

On top is the ON / OFF switch and the Shutter Release.

On the top of the right side is a single I/O port for connecting
either the Audio/Video cable (selectable NTSC or PAL video format)
or the USB 1.1 data cable. On the bottom is the DC IN jack for the
optional AC power supply or an external battery pack.

The DiMAGE Xt is equipped with a SD/MMC card slot and is compatible with any size
Secure Digital or MultiMedia Card. The camera ships with a 16MB SD card.

Storage Capacity of 16MB SD Card

2048x1536

1600x1200

1280x960

640x480

Economy

32 frames

47 frames

69 frames

150 frames

Standard

17 frames

27 frames

39 frames

100 frames

Fine

9 frames

14 frames

22 frames

69 frames

Super fine

1 frame

2 frames

3 frames

14 frames

Movie

41 seconds

Audio recording

30 minutes 51 seconds

The camera is powered by a proprietary NP-200 3.7V 750mAh lithium rechargeable battery
pack. Minolta claims it has the capacity to record 130 pictures (half with flash) with the
LCD on and it has a 110 minute playback capability.

The battery pack can be charged outside of the camera in the supplied
BC-300 charger from any 100-240V AC power source.

It can also charge the battery while it's still in the camera. And it makes a handy
stand when using the DiMAGE Xt as a video conferencing camera.

The optional CS-DG100 camera case. Holds the DiMAGE Xt (or DiMAGE X/Xi) and a spare battery
pack and memory card. It has a belt clip on the back.

Marine Case MC-DG200

The optional Marine Case MC-DG200 is a compact underwater housing molded to
the slim profile of the DiMAGE Xt. From 30 meters (approx. 100 feet)
under the surface of the ocean to the summit of a rugged peak, the Marine Case will
protect the camera from the elements.

The Marine Case is designed for extreme sports, whether on water, snow, or rock. Although
specifically designed for underwater diving, it's also the perfect armor against the
elements for outdoor adventures: mountain climbing, camping, snow boarding,
skiing, kayaking and white-water rafting; anywhere your want to go.

Visitors of Steves can visit the stores below for real-time pricing and availability. You can also find hot, soon to expire online offers on a variety of cameras and accessories at our very own Camera Deals page.